The Reluctant Cinderella

Carly turned to her and sweetly scolded, “You didn’t call me yesterday to tell me how it went. Did Greg hire you?”

Keeping her expression totally noncommittal, Megan shrugged. “Not yet. That was just the preliminary meeting. There will be a more formal presentation at my office next week, with my whole team involved. There’ll also be Gregory, Sr., and a few vice presidents, I think.”

Carly let out a cry of delight. “Look at you. So calm and collected. I mean, you just said ‘Not yet.’ Why, he is going to hire you, isn’t he?”

“Surprised?” Megan couldn’t help teasing.

“Well, I…I just…”

Megan smiled. “Hey. It’s okay. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your setting up that interview.” Too bad I went and fell for the guy you’re still in love with….

“Oh, well.” Carly’s thick lashes swooped down. “I was happy to do it.”

“I’m very grateful. The chance to land the Banning’s account, that’s a big deal for me.”

Carly sipped more coffee. “So tell me. How is Greg?” Her cheeks were pinker than ever and those Delft-blue eyes glittered with a frantic kind of hope.

“Well, of course, it was a business meeting,” Megan hedged, and felt like a low-down, backstabbing creep. “But he seemed well. You know, healthy. All that…”

On Carly’s other side, Angela looked up sharply from her plate of pancakes. She’d always had a sixth sense about what was going on with Megan. Megan lifted an eyebrow and Angela lifted one right back.

Carly was oblivious to the sisterly signals. “Did he seem too thin? I worry, you know? That he’s not eating right…”

“Uh. No. He looked okay. Fine. Really.”

“What did he say about me?”

Good googly moogly. Megan honestly couldn’t recall his mentioning Carly’s name once. “Nothing. Really.” Carly’s face fell. And Megan heard herself adding, “He sends his regards, of course.” Liar, liar, pants on fire…

“His regards…” Carly mulled that over for a moment, her full lower lip quivering just a little.

“Yes,” Megan said, so cheerfully it set her own teeth on edge.

Carly pasted on a smile. “Well. That’s something. I guess….” She popped off the stool as if she’d been ejected from it. “And you know what?” She tugged on the hem of her crisp white shirt. “I really do have to get going. I only meant to stay for just a moment. My, how the time does fly.” She was halfway across the kitchen already.

“Bye, Carly,” said Angela, with another sharp look at Megan. “Thanks again for the amazing cake. We will totally enjoy it.”

“My pleasure.” Carly’s voice was tight. She ducked out through the dining room.

Megan trailed her to the door, where Carly paused, swallowed back the tears that were shining in her eyes, and asked, “Your next meeting with Greg and his dad and the executives, when is that?”

“Monday.”

“Well, you’d better call me afterward this time. Promise?”

“I will.”

She reached up to smooth her perfect hair. “I want to hear all about it, now. I mean it.”

Since the meeting next Monday was going to be business and nothing but, Megan told herself, she had zero to worry about. “You bet.”

Carly’s forced smile widened. “Good luck.”

Megan thanked her again, and at last she left.

Back in the kitchen, big sister was waiting. “Okay.” Angela pushed her plate to the side and picked up her coffee cup. “What the heck is going on?”

Megan picked up her own cup and leaned against the counter. “Absolutely nothing.”

Angela gave a tiny snort. “Liar.”

Megan scowled at her sister. Leave it to Angela to cut right to the chase. “Really. It’s nothing.” Because I’m not letting it become something.

Angela wasn’t buying. “Something happened. With Greg Banning…” Megan winced—and her sister had one of those lightbulb moments. “Oh. My. Gosh.” She sent a glance over her shoulder, as if checking to see if Rhonda Johnson or Irene Dare or some other neighborhood busybody might be lurking there. And then she whispered, “You and Greg…?”

Megan plunked her cup down and crossed her arms over her midsection. “No. That’s not so. I’m telling you, nothing happened.”

Angela patted the stool that Carly had vacated. “Sit. Now.”

With a put-upon sigh, Megan took the stool. “What?”

“Exactly what happened while nothing was happening?”

“I gave the presentation. I was terrific.”

“Of course you were.”

“He said he wanted to hear more….”

“Yeah, and?”

“He asked me to lunch—and don’t get that look. Nothing was said, you know? He didn’t…make any moves or ask me out or anything.”

“Well, he asked you to lunch.”

“Angela. Come on. Sometimes Dr. Zefflinger takes you to lunch. Does that mean he’s putting a move on you?”

“Dr. Zefflinger is happily married, not to mention almost sixty.”

Megan blew out a breath. “Not my point.”

“Oh, really?”

“Ange. Business colleagues go to lunch all the time. It’s perfectly acceptable—in fact, a nice lunch is a good way to get to know the people you’re working with. It doesn’t have to be a man-woman thing.”

Angela looked at her long and hard. Then she nodded. “Right. It doesn’t have to be. But this is.”

Megan lowered her head and groaned. “Why is this happening?”